MILLWOOD DAM – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers closed Highway 32 across Millwood Dam beginning at 7:00 pm Friday evening Jan. 30 for unplanned but necessary inspection gallery maintenance. The closure continued until Sunday afternoon.
Maintenance crews identified an unexpected issue inside the Millwood Dam inspection gallery that required immediate pumping operations to ensure safe working conditions. The sump pumps inside the dam had gone offline because of the weather conditions, allowing water to accumulate in the gallery. Additional pumps were brought in to remove the water, and once levels were lowered, USACE crews were able to restore the dam’s sump pumps to normal operation.
Randall “Jay” Townsend, Chief, Public Affairs, Little Rock District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said in a statement, “The dam continued to function as intended throughout the incident, and at no time was there a safety concern with the structure itself. Restoring the pumps was necessary to support routine maintenance and operations.”
“Because the work area is accessed from the roadway across the dam, AR Highway 32 had to be closed on short notice. The closure was coordinated with the Arkansas Department of Transportation, and crews completed the necessary maintenance within 48 hours,” the statement added.
